Wichita eagle., 1887-06-29
A DENTAL COLLEGE.
HALF PLEDGED DENTISTS PRACTIC-
ING ON THEIR PATIENTS.

Operating Chair-Manufacture of Plates
and Teeth The Museum Students
from Everywhere.
The exterior of the building is so harm
less and inoffensive in appearance that few
persons would suspect that behind those
walls are concealed something like $50
human beings, the majority of them young
men, engaged in mastering the TECHNICAL
ties connected with the preservation and
extraction of molars, bicuspids, incisors,
CANNES and all the other things in the
mouth to which the scientists have given
such terrible names, and which, on occas-
sion, ache so like the late Samuel Hill. Is
it not a dreadful thought? Two hundred
and fifty men about to be turned loose
upon the inhabitants of this city, to eStab-
Esh $50 dental rooms, to smile blandly
upon go patients who come timidly in,
holding on to their jaws; to pop them into
$50 chairs and say "Open your mOuth-a
little wider, please" then silence for
moment; then $50 shrieks to rend the air,
followed presently by an equal number Of
long drawn "ahsr' expressive of immeas-
urable relief 1t almost takes away ones
breath TO think of it.
Observing several persons entering with
that uncertain gait and troubled express
sion of countenance which mark the dem
lists prey, a reporter, backed up by an
intrepid artist, yentured into this place the
other day to see what was to be seen.
Armed with an accident policy for one
day, and with note books and pencils care
fully concealed they assembled a flight of
stairs and eptered a long, narrow room
containing about dozen chairs OF a kind
but too familiar to need description. They
were occupied by twelve unfortuDates,
mostly females, in various stages of I'M
happiness There wasn't cheerfulness
enough diffused over all their counte-
nances put together to make up one single
sickly defeated candidate the day-after-
election smile. But there was enough
cheerfulnesS on the faces of the operators,
rs well as on those of the other students
who were visible, to rather more than over
balance the gloom that otherwise charac-
teriZed the proceedings.
Bv rare good fortune the artist reCog-
nized friend in six foot student, who
was watching young man run u buzz
saw between the teeth of neatly dressed
and rather attractive young lady. He
consented TO act the part Of ciCerOne, and
under his guidance and protection the
twain made the tour of the premises, be-
ginning with the extracting room. That
is, they began with it after while, but
not quite Immediately, for on trying the
door it proved to be locked, and various
hollow groans and muffled cries from be-
yond conveyed but too plainly to the
listeners the fact that some student was
adding to his information as to the ratio
between his dexter arm and some decayed
premaXillary grinder. When the student
had concluded his operations the door was
opened. About n dozen students were
gathered around the operating chair, and
young woman in a state of collapse was
departing The students seemed to be
having a little discussion as to whose turn
It was TO have the next crack" and
waved various dreadful looking instru-
ments of torture about them in an alarm
ingly careless manner.
Leaving this ensanguined field, the eX-
ploring party ventured next into the third
story. Here was another large room,
with more chairs and more uIfOrtunates.
All the chairs were full and the students
were working away for dear life The
professors look at the patient's teeth be-
fore the student begins to operate and
after he has completed his work. If it is
satisfactory, he receives mark in accord
ance with the excellence of his work. If
it is not good, he has to take it out and do
it over again. This, the reporter was in
formed, did not very often happen, but
when it did it was apt to engender i'll feel
ing between the operator and Operatee.
Adjoining this was large room devoted
TO the manufacture of plates and sets Of
te.h In one corner of the room was
furnace about as hot as a crematOry in
full blast. The student led the unhappy
visitors directly to this and planted them
within six inches of it while he gave them
all the details he could think of concern
ing the institution
The professor afterward took the visit
Ors in charge and showed them the mu-
scum, containing among other things
casts of the heads of persons upon whom
remarkable dental and surgical opera
tons had been performed by the faculty
of this institute. There was the case, for
instance, of young man whom they
called Tommy" who, through some
canCcrouS affection, bad lost his entire
nose and all his teeth. As shown by the
east, he must have been hidcous object
TO gaze upon. The middle finger of his
left arm WAS bound down upon lis face,
the skin opened and left there until it
should unite. When union had taken
place. the finger was cut of at the first
Joint, and the man had very tClcrable
booking nose at the expense of a finger.
The professor was Intercepted as to
the nationality Of the students He re-
piled that they came from ali parts of the
world, and ranged in age from i TO GA.
There was among them even one man
from Greece. He was a middle aged,
quiet looking Individual, and the pro-
feSsor said, was very conscientious and
careful in his work. The operating is
carried on daily from 8 to u. Every
afternoon there are lectures from 2:30
until O'Clock. The course takes two
years, and about three out of four. on an
average, escape being ''pluckcd'' and sent
back for another year. Each student
works three days filling teeth. two DAYS
making plates and one day at extracting.
This, with the lectures and subsequent
copying of his notes and reading text
books, ills out his week very thoroughly.
The course embraces, besides instruction
in dentistry, a complete course Of anatomy
and the Science Of medicine. Except in
the single branch of surgery. the course
embraces everything that is taught in the
College of Physicians anG Surgeons. One
would naturally suppose that the insti-
tute would be patronized almost eXclu-
sively by the poorer classes, but this. the
professor stated, was not the case. Many
persons who were abundantlv able to nav
the highest prices came here for the reason,
he presumed, that they were sure Of get
ting honest work.